#5 Derek Fisher Vs San Antonio Spurs - Western Conference Semifinal, Game 5 (2004)
This was probably the most outrageous ending to an NBA game ever. The Spurs who were the reigning NBA champions took on the Lakers.
The series was tied at 2-2 going into the fifth game in San Antonio. It was a cagey affair with the score 70-71 in San Antonio's favor. The Lakers executed a "pick and roll" play to perfection, Bryant gave them a one-point lead with ten seconds remaining. Tim Duncan had the ball in his hands with five seconds remaining, made quite possibly the greatest fadeaway jumper ever despite Shaquille O'Neal all over him and gave the Spurs a one-point lead with 0.4 seconds on the clock.
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Derek Fisher, who was never an All-Star, was the beneficiary of Kobe sucking in most of Spurs' defense for the final play. He miraculously made a turnaround jumper that can only be described as a prayer to give the Lakers the win and a crucial 3-2 lead.
This will go down as one of the best cases of how a basketball game can change with the matter of less than half a second. The Lakers went on to win the series and eventually lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.
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